The present invention relates to optical viewing instruments, and particularly to split-image optical viewing instruments which simultaneously present two (or more) images for direct viewing by two (or more) observers.
Split-image optical viewing instruments are used in a number of applications. One example of an application is in instruction wherein the same image is simultaneously viewed by one or more students and by an instructor. The split-images in such instruments are commonly produced by the use of a beam splitter. A known instrument of this type includes a vidicon image converter which receives one of the images from the beam splitter and converts it to electrical signals which are reproduced on a cathode ray tube at a remote location. The latter instrument, however, is very bulky and not resistant to shocks, thereby substantially limiting its use.